Management of HELCOM MPAs

Human activities within the HELCOM MPAs can be restricted through
management plans or measures, which are developed to prevent conflicts
of interest and to ensure that specific nature conservation goals are
reached. The
management plans regulate or compensate harmful human activities through
different actions, such as restricting activities during a certain time
or in a certain area, prohibiting certain activities completely,
restoring degraded areas, maintaining sustainable and traditional use
when appropriate and substituting certain materials or substances with
less harmful ones. Activities
regulated in the HELCOM MPAs are for example constructions, dredging,
aquaculture, installation of wind-farms, hunting and fishing.

Each
HELCOM MPA shall have a unique management plan or management measures drafted for the area in
question. In addition, some MPAs have specific targeted management plans
for specific parts of the MPA. Of the 176 established HELCOM MPAs 127
(72%) currently have a management plan in force, and 39 HELCOM MPAs (22%) have a management plan under preparation (Figure 1).

Figure
1. HELCOM MPAs and their management plan status in August 2017. Click map to enlarge.